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We are used to clocks that tick. That sound is characteristic
of mechanical clocks. It is produced by the escapement, a mechanism
that is often compared to the human heart. The pallet swings softly
to and fro, catching one peg after another on the rotating wheel.
This arrangement provides for the passage of energy in impulses from
the weight to the pendulum. The pendulum in turn regulates the running
of the entire clock mechanism. When the pendulum stops, so does the
clock. The swinging of the pendulum is connected by gears to the turning
of the hands of the clock. It is believed that the movement of the
hands of a clock from right to left copies that of the shadow on a
sundial. |
